Education Ministry intervenes in leadership conflict at St. James High

 

A longstanding dispute between the principal of St. James High and the chairman of the board on Monday escalated during a staff meeting which has resulted in the suspension of classes on Tuesday.

 

Minister of Education Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon says the ministry has intervened in the conflict.

 

Executive Director for the National Council on Education, Merris Murray, acting Chief Education Officer Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle and Regional Director Dr. Michele Pinnock have been deployed to the school to meet with the administration and other stakeholders to address the matter.

 

Senator Morris Dixon says there is need for immediate and long-term solutions following the unfortunate breakdown in leadership that has disrupted the school's operations.

 

She says situations like this make it clear that the education ministry has to provide greater support in the operationalisation of the leadership and governance structure within schools.

 

She emphasised that under no circumstances should there be leaders at odds much less behaving in a manner to deprive students of a day of learning and good example of excellence in stewardship.

 

Radio Jamaica News was informed that the tension between chairman of the board Christopher McCurdy and principal Joseph Williams became heated after the chairman requested permission to address a staff meeting but was denied by the principal.

 

This led to a verbal altercation which almost became physical.

 

It's further understood that the men had to be separated by teachers.

 

Parents were subsequently informed that classes would be suspended on Tuesday.

 

Since last year, the leaders have been at loggerheads over a number of issues including the suspension of students by the principal without discussion with the board.

 

Meanwhile, president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, Linvern Wright, says based on his understanding of what transpired at St. James High on Monday, there was a breach of protocol by the board chairman. 

 

"I spoke to [the principal] yesterday and essentially it's that he had a meeting and the chairman was there without [being invited] and wanted to pretty much conduct the meeting. So it was put off. That's how I understood it. And that having happened, I don't know that that is something that should be. The chairman should have had a meeting with the principal before, because the principal in charge of operation; he's in charge of the overall management of the school, so he would deal with anything he has in a board meeting," Mr. Wright explained. 

 

He said the conflict at St. James High is the negative result of political appointees being the head of school boards. 

 

"The real problem is that we have our politicians appointing people to boards, rather than over having people who are competent, who have no side to take and who are going to be doing this thing in the interest of education. Because most chairmen, in fact, 99% of chairmen would not do what that chairman did. And what we really want to have are chairmen who understand that they are about education and not about conflict. That's not a good approach to anything" he asserted.